Kang Koo

The eco-friendly surface modification of textiles for deep digital textile printing by in-line atmospheric non-thermal plasma treatment

This study evaluated the potential application of an atmospheric plasma (AP) treatment as a pre-treatment for digital textile printing (DTP) of polyester (PET) fabrics and cotton, in order to determine its viability as an alternative to the usual chemical treatment. The surface properties of the AP-treated fabrics were examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle, and the physical properties, such as electrostatic voltage and water absorbance, were tested. The properties of cotton and PET with the AP treatment were found to be dependent on number of repetitions and electric voltage. Although no remarkable surface differences were observed by SEM in the fabrics before and after treatment, the static contact angle of the PET after AP treatment was decreased from 85 ° to 24 ° at wave. In addition, the charge decay time decreased as the voltage and number of treatments increased. The absorption height of PET changed after exposure to 7 mm with increasing measurement time. The K/S with and without the AP pre-treated and DTP finished cotton was better than that with the usual chemical modification. In PET, the 0.5 kW and 1 time AP-treated specimen showed the highest K/S values.

Preparation and properties of polar polypropylene blends containing phenolic resin

It is often pointed out that low water absorption and moisture permeability are drawbacks of polypropylene (PP). In this study, blending with an amorphous polymer was used to modify PP. For improving the properties of PP without any property depression, PP was blended with phenolic resin-Novolak type (PRN). PP/PRN blends were investigated by a contact angle test for surface properties to determine whether PP had hygroscopic characteristics due to the existence of PRN in the blends. In addition, for the sake of efficient investigation in this blend, chemical structure, mechanical measurement, thermal analysis, and morphological observations were also studied.

The Physicochemical Characteristics of PET Fabrics Treated with Low Temperature Glow Plasma and Atmospheric Corona Discharge

The high value-added functionality for synthetic fiber can be considered through a plasma enhanced treatment. In this study, PET(Polyethyleneterephthalate) was treated with a glow plasma and corona treatment. Surface characteristics of treated fabric were investigated using electron scanning microscopy(SEM), contact angle, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), tensile and adhesion strength. It was found that the contact angle showed 85.5° for untreated fabric, 0° for plasma and corona treatment at the condition of 200W for 7min. By XPS analysis, atomic ratio of O 1s/C 1s was increased from 0.27 to 0.43 by glow plasma and 0.27 to 0.41 by corona treatment at 200W for 7min, respectively. Glow plasma and corona treatment did not significantly change the tensile strength of PET fabric. Adhesion strength showed a substantial enhancement for the surface treated with the glow plasma, while corona treatment was adversely affected.

Characteristics of double-layer coated fabrics with and without phase change materials and nano-particles

Stability in a low temperature environment is needed for a textile to be used as winter wear. This research was presented the characteristics of fabrics by double-thin-layered coating with and without phase change materials (PCM) and several nano-sized inorganic particles (N-particles). Silica, Ag, Zr, and carbon types of N-particles were used for investigating the N-particles effect. For the experimental method, the PCM and N-particles were coated consecutively in the wet and dry coating process, respectively. The N-particles on the surface of the coated fabrics were confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and after double-layer composite coating, the adhesion durability, water vapor permeability, water penetration resistance, DSC, thermographic photography, far infrared (FIR) emission effect, and the thermal insulation of the coated fabrics were tested for investigating the performances. Their compatibility and adhesion were superior when the add-on of N-particles was 10 %. From the DSC reproducibility results, we verified that the N-particles coated fabric preserved its thermal stability by absorbing latent heat. On the other hand, the FIR emission rate and energy of the Ag N-particle based sample were not better than the control sample.